Dramatic helicopter footage captures 'daft' man dazzling pilot with laser pen while chatting to his girlfriend at 3am

This dramatic footage taken from a police helicopter captured the moment a 'daft' man dazzled the pilot with a laser pen.

The clip showed the bright green light being dazzled directly towards the aircraft as it searched for a missing person above the Latchford and Stockton Heath areas in Cheshire. Officers were able to trace the light to the window of a property - where they found David Warren.

Warren, 41, initially refused to let officers in, but they forced entry and arrested him. They found the green laser inside.

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In court, he was told his actions 'could have put many lives in danger'. Police said shining the laser towards the helicopter was 'incredibly dangerous'.

When quizzed, Warren said he had originally used the laser to play with his dog and said he had been 'daft and immature'. But inquiries revealed just eight days before last month's incident, he was given a suspended prison sentence after he got drunk and threatened a man with a hammer, Warrington Magistrates' Court heard.

Warren, of Eagle Mount, Latchford, pleaded guilty to shining a laser at an aircraft and being in breach of a suspended jail sentence. He was jailed for a total of 35 weeks.

The court was told the missing person, who was unconnected to Warren, was located. Nassem Noureddine, prosecuting, said: "On August 27 at 2.45am, the National Police Air Service was on patrol in a helicopter looking for a missing person in the Latchford and Stockton Heath area of Warrington.

"At approximately 3.15am Mr Warren was shining a laser, pointed from his window, at the helicopter, distracting the officers on the aircraft looking for the missing person.

"Given the cameras, the aircraft was able to locate Mr Warren's address. Officers attended the address where he initially refused entry. There was a forced entry. He was arrested when the laser was seized."

The prosecutor said that in 2008, a defendant was given six months imprisonment for a similar offence, but he had been charged under different legislation. Warren, of Latchford in Warrington, Cheshire, was given 23 weeks jail suspended for 12 months on August 19 for threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place.

In mitigation, Warren's lawyer Gary Heaven said his client had obtained the laser two years ago and had used it to play with his dog. However, he said he had not had the dog for seven months after it was taken from him.

"On this particular night he has been engaged in conversation over the phone with his girlfriend,'' added Mr Heaven. ''At some point during the course of the conversation he had picked up the pen and he had pointed it out of the window having heard the helicopter. He has waved it.

"What much is clear and what reflects perhaps slightly more positively is that when spoken to by the police in interview, it became abundantly clear that he had not given a moment's thought about the potential consequences.

"It is not a good thing but it is not the case for instance as often happens you are dealing with people who committed reckless acts without caring. It is clear that this was a lack of forethought and a lack of insight into the potential hazard that he created by doing this. To have committed this offence is a daft and immature thing to do, and something that needs to be dealt with. I would like to suggest that at least Mr Warren would have an opportunity to deal with his underlying issues.''

But JP Andrew Brothers told Warren: "This was an extremely dangerous act that you carried out on this day. It could have put many lives in danger. We feel that a custodial sentence is the only option available to us."

Following the sentencing, Sergeant Michael Hayes at Cheshire Police said: "While the person the police helicopter was searching for during this incident was ultimately located, shining the laser beam it its direction was incredibly dangerous, and could have seriously hindered their efforts to locate someone in need of help. The sentence handed to Warren should serve as a reminder of how serious this offence is considered.

"I hope it also reminds people of the risks associated with lasers, which some people may think of as a harmless device. This is far from the case and can have very serious consequences."

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